Each Wednesday morning I post a photograph that gives me pause. I’ll get you started with a possible caption that hopefully inspires you to share a few of your own in the comments section below.
Masshole
Look at this adorable #KissesForKim photograph of Rick and Dave from California. Rick shared in his email that they met online sixteen years ago and were one of the lucky few to get married in CA in 2009.
#KissesForKim is an online campaign that I first read about on Queerty by two straight guys to show their support for the LGBT community. I really liked their positive message of love and wanted to invite our community to be a part of this positive message. Rick and Dave join my friends Dirk & Jesse and Cole & Hunter with a #KissesForKim photograph. What a handsome bunch of guys.
2012 Freedom Rally to legalize marijuana at Boston Common
$125 Million: Colorado marijuana tax revenue is on pace to double bringing in an expected $125 million dollars to the state.
Did you know that Boston hosts one of the largest rallies in the US to educate people on the benefits of marijuana and celebrate its many uses every September? This year marks the 26th anniversary of The Boston Freedom Rally. Come to the Boston Common to check out the two day celebration. The rally will be used to also collect signatures for Bay State Repeal initiative to legalize cannabis; they are hoping to collect more than 65,000 signatures this weekend.
Freedom Rally website
Freedom Rally FB event page
Both the sitting Governor of MA and Mayor of Boston have done everything they can to thwart medical marijuana dispensaries from opening, despite overwhelming support in the polls back in 2012 when it was passed. If you are in favor of the legalization of marijuana come to show your support. Aside from money, nothing gets a politician’s attention like large rallies.
Did you know? ~750,000 people were arrested for marijuana violations in 2012; what an unnecessary burden on law enforcement and our judicial system.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Havana has a shabby chic vibe that even a city like New Orleans would envy. But one needn’t just visit Old Havana to see some amazing architecture. The neighborhood we stayed was filled with homes that appeared to date back to the first half of the 20th century (if not older) and exuded an old world charm with high ceilings and architectural details from that time.
A lot of homes were once family residences but now many of them are overflowing with multiple families since there seems to be a housing crunch in Havana. I asked why some appear decrepit and some looked like they had been restored to their former glory and was told that it really came down to money. I was told one way you can tell if a family had money was if their house had recently been painted. It was stories like this that often time gave me pause to consider the implications of our relations with Cuba. Unlike many poor nations, I couldn’t help but get the impression that this could all so easily be averted.
While most of Havana remains in a depressing state of disrepair it would be unfair not to share with you examples of the “New Havana”. Like this restaurant that recently opened in the neighborhood we were staying on our visit to Cuba. 
In addition to “Sara” which I’ve shared in photographs of above, there are also national treasures like the Hotel Nacional de Cuba which according to our guide was the playground for many American mobsters in the 1940s and 1950s and is still a functioning hotel.
The hotel has beautiful views of the ocean and manicured grounds that include a tunnel rumored to run below the streets of Havana; intended as one of many escape routes for Fidel Castro back during the days of Bay of Pigs.
Blog posts from this series:
Post 1: An American in Havana
Post 2: An American in Havana: The Cuban people
Post 3: An American in Havana: The architecture
Post 4: An American in Havana: Old Havana
Post 5: An American in Havana: The food
Post 6: An American in Havana: The cars
Perfection
Last week I wrote about a campaign started by two straight guys called #KissesForKim to show their support for marriage equality and to show Kim Davis (the rather notorious Kentucky clerk) that love is greater than hate. To show their support for this affirming message my friends Dirk Caber and Jesse Jackman shared a rather romantic kiss poolside.
While I still maintain that Kim is a homophobic imbecile , I do like the message of #KissesForKim, because of its love and life affirming statement; live and let live. So I was happy to see my friends (also notorious in their own right) The Maverick Men send me a picture to show their support #KissesForKim.
Let me know your thoughts and feel free to share photos of you kissing the one you love with the same hashtag. While I don’t know that it will change Mrs. Kim Davis’ mind, I do think it sends a wonderful statement that another person’s spite will not triumph and that in itself is rather sweet to savor. Thanks again Cole & Hunter.
No plans for the weekend and looking for something to do? Ogunquit is hosting Bear Fest 2015. You can purchase a four day advance ticket to all the events for $20
I wasn’t certain what to expect when I visited Havana. I presumed (correctly so) that Cubans didn’t hold me accountable for the politics that have divided our nations for more than 50 years, but I hadn’t realized how much I would enjoy talking to them. The Cubans we met were fairly open about their frustrations with their government but proud of all they had accomplished in terms of public health, education and contributions to culture and arts. They live in a society plagued by chronic shortages due to the ineptitude of their government and the US embargo. Despite those barriers I couldn’t help but notice all the trendy Cuban men and women strolling down Avenida 23 and along the Malecon. We were told that consumer goods make it into the general population from family members and friends who live abroad. It seemed like nearly everyone either has a relative or a connection with someone living in the United States or Europe who sends back currency and consumer goods. It made me realize while our embargo has put a great strain on Cuba it hasn’t stopped the flow of goods nor squelched their appetite for them.
While I thought much of Havana appeared to be crumbling all around me. I did like it’s shabby-chic vibe. It has that romantic charm and sexual energy all larger Latin cities possess, but it seems more romantic and in some cases tragic with the backdrop of decrepit buildings and 1950s American cars zipping by you.
Public art is plentiful and we met and talked to a few artists while visiting. I was surprised that I saw very few images of Castro while in Havana; Che Guevara, cigars, 1950s American cars and pop icons are nearly everywhere you look.
If you visit Havana, I recommend checking out the Arts & Crafts Market located along the port in Old Havana. Sure, its is tourist trap and you’ll likely bump into more than a few Americans while you’re there, but it is a great way to see how Cubans are interpreting the world around them before setting out to explore Old Havana.
Blog posts from this series:
Post 1: An American in Havana
Post 2: An American in Havana: The Cuban people
Post 3: An American in Havana: The architecture
Post 4: An American in Havana: Old Havana
Post 5: An American in Havana: The food
Post 6: An American in Havana: The cars
What to do this week: September 21-27th
Geek Trivia is hosted every Tuesday night at Club Cafe. Come over and show off your grasp of useless information on Tuesday, September 22 in Boston
Ptown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary, Thursday, September 24-27 in Provincetown
Bearfest 2015 at Mainestreet Thursday, September 24 – 27 in Ogunquit
ICA after 5 is a free program that has a different theme each week. This week’s theme is Instagram Latte Art on Friday, September 25 in Boston
Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival is a fun, free outdoor event in the South End on Saturday, September 26 in Boston
TWC Donkey Show Takeover at Club Oberon in Harvard Square is a blast. If tickets remain check it out on Saturday, September 26 in Boston
Boston Freedom Rally to advocate for the legalization of marijuana will host their rally Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27 in Boston
South End Open Market in SoWa 10am – 4pm check out the farmer’s market, food trucks and artisans on Sunday, September 27 in Boston
Run on Spectacle Island is back with a 5K or 5Mile option. Registration required to participate in the run on Sunday, September 27 in Boston
I’ve started posting a weekly listing of upcoming activities. Send me information about your upcoming programs and events in my blog’s comment section or message me the details on Facebook.
Posted in Boston, Ogunquit, Provincetown
Tagged BosGuy, Boston, Boston Guy, Ogunquit, Provincetown
I wonder how this Pope will be received by the Republican Presidential candidates when he visits the US later this week?
The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary later this week with Year TENN: A Decade of Tennessee Williams in Provincetown, Sept. 24-27. The Festival features a collection of landmark productions and brand new plays that honor the Festival’s past and the legacy of Tennessee Williams.
For more information about the annual festival visit their website at twptown.org.
Cuba is approximately 90 miles south of Florida in the Caribbean Sea but the commercial, economic and financial embargo our country has imposed since October 1960 has placed Cuba in a time warp that makes it a unique place for anyone to visit.
As long as I’ve been alive the US embargo has been in place and while it has slowed the pace of change, it hasn’t halted it entirely. It is amazing to visit a large international city without a single American fast food chain, coffee shop, bank or retail outlet. In spite of this young gay men and women can be spotted wearing the latest fashion from the US and Europe.
In the posts below I share my experience, visiting this unique destination for the first time, writing about life in Cuba, the gorgeous architecture, Old Havana, the food and of course the cars.
Blog posts from this series:
Post 1: An American in Havana
Post 2: An American in Havana: The Cuban people
Post 3: An American in Havana: The architecture
Post 4: An American in Havana: Old Havana
Post 5: An American in Havana: The food
Post 6: An American in Havana: The cars
Last week SpeakEasy Stage Company opened their 25th season with the New England premiere of the family drama, appropriate. The play picks up as members of the Lafayette family come home to a crumbling plantation in rural Arkansas to mourn the loss of their father and settle his estate.
appropriate
September 12 – October 10
For more information and to purchase tickets
Sparks start to fly pretty quickly as the Lafayette family come together for the first time in years. Family members start to verbalize long held grudges in an attempt to clear the air and make peace but bonds are tested when a terrible discovery is made. The painful and sometimes tense confrontations on stage provide an interesting mirror to tensions we see in our society.
Boston Globe review: In ‘Appropriate’, family tensions and something more
Sergio and I really enjoyed the production and would be curious to hear what you think. Come out and check out the SpeakEasy Stage Co’s. latest production and congratulate this Boston theater company that has been bringing wonderful plays and musicals for an impressive 25 seasons. Congratulations SpeakEasy Stage Co.
CuppaCoffee owner and Sydney native, Todd Moore, will open his second location in Boston on Monday, September 21st in the trendy full service, South End apartment building, Troy Boston.
Cuppa Coffee at Troy Boston is located at 57 Traveler Street on the corner of Traveler and Albany Street. The coffee shop is the 18th coffee house to open in the South End, making the South End (strictly a guess here) the most coffee-friendly neighborhood in downtown Boston. You would be hard pressed to walk more than 2-3 blocks in the South End without stumbling upon a great coffee house. By the way only 5 of those 18 coffee houses are from national or international chains.
More information about all those great coffee houses – here.
BosGuy 